KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – By an overwhelming margin, residents at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine have voted to form union.
Last week, more than 90% of residents who voted, voted in favor of unionizing as the Resident and Fellow Alliance, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO unions. The union vote still has to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board.
Jamil Khondke, a resident physician in psychiatry and a member of the organizing committee, told Michigan Public Radio at WMU that say residents work 60 to 80 hours a week on average, and on an hourly basis earn less than many low-wage workers. They says unionizing can help address benefits, safety conditions, and compensation.
Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine interim dean Dr. Robert Sawyer said in a statement released this week, “We respect our residents’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, and we respect their decision to be represented by the Resident and Fellow Alliance. Once the union is certified by the NLRB, we look forward to meeting with them to listen to our residents’ proposals and to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement.
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